Staff and Trustees at Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust met at Occombe Farm to give a warm farewell to Tim Key MBE, who is retiring after ten years as Chair of the Trustees.

Staff and Trustees at Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust met at Occombe Farm to give a warm farewell to Tim Key MBE, who is retiring after ten years as Chair of the Trustees.

Tim, aged 71, was one of the founder Trustees of the Trust and, after ten years overseeing the Trusts rapid growth and development to become a leading conservation charity in Devon, he is standing down.

Prior to becoming a Trustee Tim worked as Chair of the Cockington Management Advisory Board for 8 years, steering the project to restore and conserve Cockington Country Park. A trained architect and prominent land agent, a former President of the Rural Arm of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and advisor to the Duchy of Cornwall, Tim has spent his whole working life involved with conservation, farming, historic buildings andlandscapes. He remains a Trustee of the Institute for Animal Health.

Tim said: I was inspired from the outset by the extraordinary vision that led to the setting up of the Trust; and, it has been a huge privilege to have been involved so deeply for the past eleven years in its development. I firmly believe it will go on to deliver even greater benefits for the Coast and Countryside of Torbay and for the people who live in and visit the area. ''

Dominic Acland, Director of the Trust, said: Tim has been a huge inspiration to all of us in the Trust. He is a man who has a strong vision, a very insightful mind, and a warm appreciation of the staff and volunteers who do so much work protecting and enhancing the natural world in Torbay. We are very lucky to have had the benefit of his skills for all these years and we wish him all the very best for a happy and well-earned retirement.

The newly-appointed Chair of Trustees is Nick Powe, owner of Kents Cavern, who has been a Trustee for the last two years and has worked closely with the Trust on winning the designation of Torbay as the English Riviera Global Geopark. Nick said: I feel proud and privileged to take on this role; naturally due to the fine work of the Trust in the past but also because of what I see as the Trusts critical role in the future prosperity of Torbay: the English Riviera. I will be Chair at a pivotal time for the Trust, and the time is right to shine a laser like focus on the key role the Trust can play in the social, economic and environmental development of Torbay, as an inspirational place to work, live and visit.